Kathak is
the classical dance style of North India. The word Kathak is derived
from katha , meaning "a story", and hence the word Kathak means a
storyteller who recounted mythological tales in the temples and danced them in a
state of ecstasy. Having its origin in the sacred text known as the Natya
Shastra , set to be divinely inspired through the sage Bharata, it
has become one of the most comprehensive and expressive languages of movement in
the world.

With the advent of the Mogul rule in India (11th-18th centuries),
it was transformed from a temple dance to court dance and became a brilliant
entertainment. It was recognized in its innovative aspect by the Mogul emperors,
especially the poet king Wajid Ali Shah who rescued it from oblivion,
lent it dignity and founded the famed Lucknow Garana.

This dance form depicts "life" and is based on the philosophy of
the trinity - creation (Brahma), preservation (Vishnu), and destruction
(Mahesh). Its poses are seldom static and it has a continuous flow of movements
very near to life. Equal stress is laid on intricate footwork and beauty of
expression. It is two-dimensional in character; it conceives the space basically
in straight lines and does not put emphasis on giving a three-dimensional
effect. The human form is conceived as a straight line and there are very few
deviations from the vertical median.

Kathak can be divided into nritta and abhinayaon the
one hand and tandava and lasya on the other. Nritta and
abhinaya are applicable to the movements in the dance style.
Tandava and lasya have to do with the type of numerics which are
played on the tabla or executed by the feet.

Kathak is unique for its Footworks and
Circles. It is for both male and female.

The Music of Kathak

Kathak can be danced with a wide variety of music. Here are some of them:

1. Slokas
(Sanskrit / Hindi) and Bhajans (devotional songs for Hindu
Gods and Goddesses). Please see the Lyrics of Bhajans.2.Classical and Light Classical Songs e.g.
Thumri, Dadra, Kajri, Hori.3.Film songs preferably based on Ragas4. Darbari and Ghazals (mainly
Urdu) - songs based on love, admiration, infatuation, seperation etc. For
examples of Ghazals, you may see Ghazals of Mirza
Ghalib. You may
consult the English-Urdu
Dictionary.5. Pure Classical type e.g. Paran,
Tukda, Gat Nikas, Jugalbandi (a friendly competition), Sawal-Jawab (footwork
with tabla or pakhawaj) and demonstration of different Beats. You may consult
Taalmala. 6. Tarana based on different Ragas.
Please scroll below to see the
definitions and links related to kathak.7. Songs written by Ravindra
Nath Tagore and
Kazi Nazrul Islam(Bengali)8.Folk Dances from different states of India e.g. Bhangra, Dandia, Garba,
Machua, Chhau etc. and also gypsy dance. They have a unique style but they can
be blended with kathak.9. Dance Dramas (mainly Hindi)
example, topics chosen from the epic Mahabharata which was composed by Vyas Deva and
describes the story of Vedic era. The other great composition is the epic called
Ramayana written by Valmiki. It describes the story of
Rama (a
representative of God Vishnu), the king of Ayodhya. Rama's wife Sita was
abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Sri Lanka. Rama fought a war against
Ravana and defeated him. Ramayana presents the ideology of king Rama and his
love for his country ; Shakuntala, Krishnaleela etc.10. Any musical (classical) composition
e.g. Sitar, Sarod, Violin, Sarengi, Israj, Dilruba (String instruments),
Sehnai, Flute (Wind instruments) and Tabla, Pakhawaj, Naal, Dholak
(Percussion instruments) based on an ancient (as #9) or modern
theme (preferably on India).11. Kathak (specially footwork) can be
blended with Tap dancing

Kathak Dance Elements

Basic
Footwork: Right and Left feet are stamped as follows using Keharwa
(An eight count beat). Please see Taalmala for details. Click
here to see Kathak
bells.

A composition describing the
movement of a bird (e.g. peacock, swan), animal (e.g. elephant, lion), a human
charactor or Hindu Gods and Goddesses and is usually performed with the beats of
a percussion instrument accompanied by string instruments e.g. Sarengi, Sitar,
Swarmandal etc. Gat Nikas, commonly called Gat Vab, is named as follows.

There are many other
Gats e.g. Ghunghat (veil), Holi (festival of colors), Lahenga (a Hindu dress or
costume), Selami (a Muslim way of salutation to the audience) etc. There are variations in eye,
neck, feet movements.

Amad - It
means arrival or appearance on the stage. The Tukda following the Hindu way of
greeting the audience by doing Namaste is called Amad.

Selami -
At the beginning of kathak dance, the way of salutation to the audience
according to the Muslim culture is called Selami.

Tukda -
The Bol / Phrase having one or more Avartan (one cycle depending on beats).
Please see Taalmala.

Tarana -
It is usually sung after Chota Kheyal (consult Ragmala). It is composed of meaningless
words or phrases e.g. 'Tana Dere Na Dim', 'Na Der Dani Ni', 'Tom Tana Na',
'Udanita Nana Der Der' etc. Tarana composition is the hardest one in kathak. It
needs a clear conception in everything e.g. footwork, beat theory, circles,
tukda, paran etc. It is usually accompanied with Tabla and can be performed in
any Raga. It is fast and rhythmic, hence easily enchants the audience.

- Kathak is a wonderful blend of Hindu and Muslim culture. The costumes are very
gorgeous for both Hindu (Lahenga-Choli) and Muslim - (Churidar-Kameez-Vest) called Angrakha. Click here for more information about Kathak costumes